A good season for New Zealand's grape growers

Photo / File

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New Zealand grape growers' "stellar" performance during the Covid-19 lockdown will be welcome news for wine lovers says Hayden Higgins.

"That bodes really well for a good supply of wine coming into an export season [for] 2020/21", Rabobank's Senior Wine and Horticulture Analyst told The Country's Jamie Mackay.

Senior wine and horticulture analyst Hayden Higgins. Photo / Supplied

"The grape growers in the Hawke's Bay in terms of good vintage quality have had a fantastic vintage - and across the whole country - the quality has been really good and they did a stellar job getting through the whole Covid-19 and lockdown period, in terms of harvest and processing".

Listen below:

Australia's season was not so successful, said Higgins, with their grape harvest down 16 per cent by volume year-on-year.

Although some areas had been affected by the bushfires, the decline was mainly due to constant droughts, with Australia's production estimated to be down 16 per cent on the 10 year average as well, said Higgins.

"You're talking quite a significant reduction there in volume".

Also in today's interview: Higgins talked about how the recession was starting to bite in the UK and US, the Kiwi dollar, the rain in Hawke's Bay, and how he fared at duck shooting season this year.